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Tamanegi

Camera head or chin mount - which is safer?

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Looking forward to when I can start using a camera and wondered which is safer - a camera mount on the top of the head or a chin mount? By safer I mean less chance of entanglement or other problems with the camera mounted on a helmet. My helmet is a G3 but not sure the type of helmet matters much in regards to this question. Follow-up bonus question, recommended mounting hardware for a Hero 7 on a G3?

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Cookie has a roller mount on their website for the g3 Here . I’ve seen the chin mounts and most looked it would easily catch a line if it got anywhere near it although less likely to be there. I also didn’t like the idea of it being in my field of view or the leverage possibilities from that point. Invest in a cutaway as well and learn where it is and include it in your handle checks so you build the muscle memory. If you don’t have an audible, nows the time to get one. Talk with your local camera flyers, ST&A, DZO, ect about different scenarios that could come up just because you’re flying camera. Some could be different depending on what you’re planning to do.

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If a line gets caught, there’s a good chance that it’s going to whip your chin up or to the side and up. I’m not saying a top mount snag won’t do the same but I can visualize a large amount of leverage from the chin. Imagine a line pulling straight up from either location quickly. 

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On 6/29/2019 at 1:26 PM, Tamanegi said:

Looking forward to when I can start using a camera and wondered which is safer - a camera mount on the top of the head or a chin mount? By safer I mean less chance of entanglement or other problems with the camera mounted on a helmet. My helmet is a G3 but not sure the type of helmet matters much in regards to this question. Follow-up bonus question, recommended mounting hardware for a Hero 7 on a G3?

Depends on the particulars, but in general chin is safer.  How many times have lines been caught around someone's neck?

 

The below is specifically in relation to a mount on a Cookie G3 helmet:

 

If the chin mount is a grellfab mount, it's held on by two rubber bands.  if anything gets entangled with them, it will cut through them. 

 

Furthermore, Grellfab mounts have a cutaway.  Most "top of head" mounts do not.  Some helmets do though, but some do not. 

 

Finally, should anything get caught on the mount, you have the rubber bands to act as a shock absorption, whereas if the mount is screwed onto your helmet, you'll get the full whiplash.

 

I was an early adopter of Grellfab mounts and they are just safer.  Kind of common sense when you think about it.

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I don't really keep tabs on what other companies do.  I've seen at least one non-Grellfab one that looked like it had a reasonable design... but not sure which mounts you are looking at.  I've been using my Grellfab for five years or so (I was an early adopter) and they've worked great for my wife and I.

That having been said, among their mounts, those that keep the camera closer to the face seem to work better than the ones that can "change angle" or that work with a number of different cameras.

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Thank you Lyosha - all good info - I was kinda leaning towards chin mount for these same reasons.  The Grellfab mount is certainly one I'm considering, but also came across www.chinmount.com - take a look if you have a chance. I like how close it is to the helmet, also has a cutaway and rubber bands.

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I'm using the Grellfab chinmount on my G3 as well and can totally recommend it. My reason for buying it was the cutaway - imho a cutaway for the entire helmet doesn't make very much sense on a full-face helmet that has a tight fit in itself anyway. Also, I like it better to keep the helmet on ;-) Another pro argument for me was that you have more headspace in smaller aircrafts with the chin mount.

As I saw on the GrellFab site, they do now also offer a top mount with a cutaway for just the mount. 

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1 hour ago, Jan73 said:

I'm using the Grellfab chinmount on my G3 as well and can totally recommend it. My reason for buying it was the cutaway - imho a cutaway for the entire helmet doesn't make very much sense on a full-face helmet that has a tight fit in itself anyway. Also, I like it better to keep the helmet on ;-) Another pro argument for me was that you have more headspace in smaller aircrafts with the chin mount.

As I saw on the GrellFab site, they do now also offer a top mount with a cutaway for just the mount. 

Totally agree - I already hit my visor when its up sometimes on the roof of the plane :)  Camera cut away is a must for me as well, I do like how cheap the chinmount.com one is though. Yea helmet cutaway isn't really an option with me as I wear prescription glasses, trying to pull the helmet off while those are on would be a problem.

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